Chapter 272: Echoes of the Past

The sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows across the ancient stones of Eldoria. Though the shadowy menace in the Veil had been defeated—for now—the scars it left were far from healed. Kael, Ashara, and Veyna stood silently at the city's edge, contemplating the path ahead.

Kael's connection to the Veil pulsed faintly, a reminder that the balance was delicate and easily broken. He turned toward Ashara and Veyna, determination hardening his gaze.

"We must uncover the origins of this corruption," he said firmly. "The Shadow Realm's heart was only a symptom. There's a deeper force manipulating the fractures between worlds."

Ashara nodded, her fingers tightening around the hilt of her dagger. "If there's a root, we'll find it. But we'll need knowledge—ancient knowledge."

Veyna's eyes gleamed with a fierce light. "And allies. More than just the Keepers of the Old Light."

Kael's mind drifted back to the whispers he'd heard during his visions—fragments of a lost history, voices calling from forgotten realms.

"We should seek out the Archivists of the Forgotten Gate," Kael said slowly. "Legends say they guard secrets older than the Veil itself."

Ashara exchanged a look with Veyna. "The Forgotten Gate… no one has seen it in centuries. It's said to be a portal between dimensions, hidden from even the Keepers."

"Then that is where we must go," Kael decided. "The fate of all realms depends on it."

As twilight deepened, they prepared for the journey to find the elusive gate. Eldoria's ancient tomes whispered of a lost path beyond the Veil's edge—a place where time and space converged.

Guided by faint runes and the lingering light of the Veil within Kael, the trio stepped into the unknown once again.

Each step carried the weight of the past—and the hope for a future free from shadows.